Apparatus for feeding cigarettes



May 25, 1965 D. w. MOLlNS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARET'IES Filed NOV. 8, 1962 N\\\ QQ M United States Patent 3,185,284 APPARATUS FQR FEEDING CIGARETTES Desmond Walter Molins, Depttord, London, England, assignor to Molins Machine Company Limited, a British company Filed Nov. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 236,234 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 10, 1961, 40,336/ 61 3 Claims. (Cl. 198-20) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for automatically feeding cigarettes into a hopper and more particularly to distributing them to more than one place across the width of the hopper.

When feeding cigarettes into a hopper, the bottom of which is fitted with vertically disposed vanes, it is considered essential to maintain the level of cigarettes at such a height that all available positions between vanes are filled with cigarettes. When the width of the hopper is small, the level can be maintained by automatically feeding the cigarettes from one side of the hopper. Width is defined herein as the dimension in a horizontal plane at right angles to the longitudinal axes of the cigarettes contained in the hopper. For greater widths of hopper cigarettes can be fed in at both ends. But for still greater widths, it becomes diflicult to maintain an even enough level to ensure the complete filling of the positions between the vanes, by feeding cigarettes from one or even from both ends.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to feed cigarettes into the top of a hopper at suflicient different positions to ensure that the cigarette level within the hopper is maintained at a required height throughout its width.

This and other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description of one exemplary embodiment of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of apparatus for feeding cigarettes into a hopper,

FIGURE 2 is a worms eye view of part of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a catcher band 1 conveys cigarettes C in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes from a continuous rod cigarette-making machine, as indicated by the direction of the arrow on driving pulley 2. Parallel with and conveying the cigarettes in the same direction, an overhead fluted conveyor 3 passes around a driving roller 4 and a tail pulley 5. The band 3 is provided with flutes 6 and is moving in the direction of the arrow on the roller 4.

A suction chamber 7 is located immediately above the lower run of the fluted conveyor 3, communicating with a source of suction in a manner not shown in FIGURE 1. The chamber 7 extends right up to the tail pulley and its bottom is provided with slots 8 to 14 as can be seen in FIGURE 2. Each flute has either a central hole 15 or a pair of holes 16, 17 or 18, all holes of the pairs being equidistant from the centre line of the fluted band 3. The fluted band is so guided, by means which are not shown in the drawings, that the holes and slots communicate. Thus the central holes 15 communicate with the slot 8, the pair of holes 16 with the slots 9 and 10, the

3,185,284 Patented May 25, 1965 pair 17 with the slots 11 and 12, and the outside pair of holes 18 with the slots 13 and 14.

Below the bottom run of the overhead fluted conveyor 3 is a hopper 19 the lower part of which comprises vertically disposed vanes 20 positioned between two end plates 21 and 22, whilst a guard 23 prevents cigarettes from being jammed between the end plate 21 and the roller 2.

The slots 15 to 18 extend in the direction of travel of the cigarettes from a position P, at which the cigarettes are lifted in succession by suction into the flutes of the band 3, to selected positions. Thus the slot 8 extends to a position 24, the pair of slots 11 and 12 to a position 25 and the outside pair 13 and 14 to a position 26. As many selected positions can be chosen as there are pairs of slots. In this case there are four pairs of slots (the central slot counting as a pair) so that there are four selected positions but more or less can be chosen according to circumstances.

In operation the cigarettes C are conveyed on the band 1 in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes until they reach the posit-ion P at which they are lifted in succession into the flutes of the band 3 to which they adhere by suction, since each selected flute has a hole or holes which communicates with a slot extending to one of the selected positions. Thus a selected flute 27 has a pair of holes 28 communicating with the slots 11 and 12 which extend to the selected position 25. Thus as the band 3 moves to the right as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2 a cigarette C in the groove 27 will be held until it reaches the position 25 when the holes 28 moves out of communication with the slots 11 and 12. Consequently the cigarette falls into the hopper 19 at this selected position 25.

All flutes on the band 3 can be equally considered as selected flutes which communicate with any of the four pairs of slots (the central 15 still counting as a pair). Thus all the cigarettes will fall into one or other of the four selected positions. By feeding the cigarettes into the hopper in four selected positions it is possible to maintain the level within the hopper in a reasonably level condition.

From the bottom of the vanes the cigarettes can be used for any suitable purpose. For instance, they could be fed into a packing machine in which a large number of cigarettes makes up any one row, i.e., a 50s packing machine. Alternately the cigarettes could be fed into containers as disclosed in copending British patent application No. 39,468/ 61.

What is claimed is:

1. In cigarette feeding apparatus, delivery means to feed cigarettes in a direction transverse to their axes, a hopper to receive cigarettes, a continuous overhead suction conveyor provided with flutes and extending substantially across the width of the hopper, each flute having at least one hole, a lifting position at which cigarettes are transferred suctionally from the delivery means to said conveyor, a plurality of falling positions at each of which cigarettes are released from said conveyor to fall into the hopper, and a suction chamber extending over the lower run of said conveyor and provided with a plurality of slots each of which extends from the lifting position to one of the falling positions, the arrangement of slots References Cited by the Examiner and holes being such that each hole is communicable UNITED STATES PATENTS with a slot.

2,312,357 3/43 Adquist 271-74.1 2. In clgarette feedmg apparatus as clauned 1n clatm 1, 2,789,704 4/57 Lewin 271 74 an alrraxllgemeilthofl said c0nve0r wherehy each flute has 2,813,637 11/57 Perry a p nra 1ty o 0 es d1spose symmetncally about the 3,131,929 5/64 Rehm X long1tud1nal center hne thereof.

3. In cigarette feeding apparatus as claimed in .claim 1, SAMUEL COLEMAN? Prima'y Exammer an arrangement whereby the holes of adjacent flutes C m- WILLIAM B. LA BORDE, ERNEST A, FALLER, municate with slots of different lengths. 10 Examiners. 

1. IN A CIGARETTE FEEDING APPARATUS, DELIVERY MEANS TO FEED CIGARETTES IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THEIR AXES, A HOPPER TO RECIEVE CIGARETTES, A CONTINUOUS OVERHEAD SUCTION CONVEYOR PROVIDED WITH FLUTES AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE HOPPER, EACH FLUTE HAVING AT LEAST ONE HOLE, A LIFTING POSITION AT WHICH CIGARETTES ARE TRANSFERRED SUCTIONALLY FROM THE DELIVERY MEANS TO SAID CONVEYOR, A PLURALITY OF FALLING POSITIONS AT EACH OF WHICH 